Del Mar Left Hand Conversion Question

[speedystein]

TL-DR: If converting an old conventional reel to left hand, why swap the gears?  Seems like just a sleeve and star drag would do the trick? 

I have a fondness for old Penns.  Unfortunately, they are pretty difficult to find in left hand models, and anything other than 209s tend to sell for pretty high prices on eBay. 

In the interest of not sinking too much cash into a really old reel, I've settled on converting an old Del Mar that I have.  I've been stalking mystic parts, and doing lots of reading - it seems like this can be done by swapping the sleeve, both gears, and the star drag. 
 
I get why swapping the sleeve and star drag - the anti-reverse needs to allow the crank to spin the other way, and the star drag should rotate "forward" to tighten. 

My big question - why swap gears?  Seems like they interlock and spin the same, forward or backward?  I am fairly mechanically minded - what am I missing?

[jurelometer]

The gears are helical.  That means that they generate significant axial (side)load during winding. Also, the bottom or top of teeth will engage when loading.   The direction of axial load will change, and the point of egnagement will change unless the helix angle is reversed with gears on the other side.  So it could be that.

I would suspect that the reel might work good enough if stwitched to LH with RH gears, maybe just not quite as robust.

-J

[Maxed Out]

 Yes, to do the swap, you'd need gears, sleeve, and the star. From my experience the lefty threaded star is the part that may be unobtainium.

[speedystein]

THe gears are helical.  That means that they generate significant axial (side)load during winding. Also, the bottom or top of teeth will engage when loading.   The direction of axial load will change, and the point of egnagement will change unless the helix angle is reversed with gears on the other side.  So it could be that.

I would suspect that the reel might work good enough if stwitched to LH with RH gears, maybe just not quite as robust.

-J

Yep, this is along the lines that I was thinking. Thanks for explaining the physics. Seems like at some point it could cause the gears to strip, most likely at the worst possible moment - with a big fish on the line. That reel has a super low ratio, but also a fairly large spool, so I'm not sure how much force it would take to actually damage the gears, especially at standard drag levels.  Not planning to fish for anything too big with it, just inshore stuff in NorCal: ling cod, rockfish, CA halibut, stripers, etc.

Yes, to do the swap, you'd need gears, sleeve, and the star. From my experience the lefty threaded star is the part that may be unobtainium.

This is the reason why I am considering this swap with a Del Mar - no other conversions are possible with parts currently available, and no lefty Jigmasters or Squidders have popped up for a reasonable price in the last 6 months. Plus, I already have a very clean Del Mar, so that helps the decision.

[Maxed Out]

 I see a nice left hand 209 on eBay for $25 obo. Easy on the pocketbook

[speedystein]

I see a nice left hand 209 on eBay for $25 obo. Easy on the pocketbook

Yeah, I saw that one too, and almost hit go. I have a 209 already, and am looking for something a little different.

[JasonGotaProblem]

But the gears and sleeve would fit in a...

[oc1]

Turn the rod and reel upside down, relocate the anti-reverse dog to the other side of the ratchet, grind a step on the sloped side of the ratchet teeth and reload the line in the other direction.  Underhand reels are a real thing.

[speedystein]

Well, bit of a moot point now... I just scored a lefty Jigmaster on Ebay!  I think the seller listed it this morning, and I'm pretty sure I scored it within a couple hours of the listing.  I'm pretty stoked - been pining over one of these for a while now. 

[Bill B]

It's amazing what falls into your lap while searching for something else.  Congrats. Bill

[speedystein]

It's amazing what falls into your lap while searching for something else.  Congrats. Bill

Thanks! Definitely funny how things work out sometimes.

I wasn't finding a jigmaster at all, and had this del mar just sitting in my garage, and the conversion is possible (for about triple what the reel is worth, haha). So, that was why I was considering that in the first place. But all worked out!

[speedystein]

I'm very pleased - it is in near perfect condition!

[oc1]

Is that left-handed?

[speedystein]

Yes it is! Hard to tell... I wish that all the lefty reels had the "LH" in the model number on the side plate, but for whatever reason few actually do. Mine does not have it, but I've seen pictures of Jigmasters that do. A lot of reel models seem to use the same side plates for left and right hand models.

[JasonGotaProblem]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I do believe many/most Penn conventional reels have their side plates molded to accommodate a lefty setup, as long as you can tolerate the freespool lever going the "wrong" direction. So unless I'm mistaken a lot of Penn reels can go lefty. You just need a lefty gear sleeve and star, and apparently the main gear and pinion are different. But a 55-60 sleeve and main fit in a ton of older Penn reels. So if you get those 4 parts you could potentially convert a lot of old Penn reels to lefty. 

Loosely related your jigmaster maybe doesn't have the '-LH" designation because someone converted it.

But I'm wrong a lot. It's part of my charm.